Something New
by gamerright11
Summary: Lovino didn't know what to expect when he received an invitation to attend the 'prestigious' World Academy. A school with next to nothing known about it, Lovino almost doesn't attend, until he learns he might meet his brother if he does. Humans who can shape shift into weapons and manipulate their soul, Lovino has to deal with it all. All because of some stupid promise.
1. The Beginning

**Full summary: Lovino is invited to an obscure school called World Academy. He almost doesn't go until he learns he can meet certain individuals if he does. Lovino goes, but is dragged into an entirely different world of demons 'super humans.' Lovino doesn't think he'll be able to stand this school. Especially since he doesn't get to choose his partner an ends up with an obnoxious, albino bastard that only thinks of himself.**

**This is a Soul Eater x Hetalia esque story though the main thing that I'm taking from the former is the academy and the Weapon and Meister relationship. Lots of things are different from the original materials and only Hetalia characters will be present here. **

* * *

World Academy, a bright sparkling building with several floors and outstanding architecture. It rests on the crest of a hill, overlooking a magnificent ocean, with a view that could take anyone's breath away. This would seem like the perfect school, beautiful, prestigious, and having, seemingly, little rules (there were students roaming everywhere) if it weren't for the fact that there were so many goddamn stairs!

Lovino was fucking pissed. A week ago, he had been invited to attend this 'prestigious' high school. The letter was very vague only telling him the basics: it was located out of state, he would have to stay on campus, and that everything would be provided for him.

This made the brunette suspicious. The school had little overall information about it, in the letter or online, and Lovino hated not knowing.

Lovino, initially, was going to decline the offer. A mysterious private school, located in the middle of fucking nowhere was not something he wanted to be a part of. He'd wind up missing or some shit.

Lovino had been about to trash the papers, not willing to accept the possibility, when his mother interrupted.

"Hmm."

Lovino scowled. He hated hearing that.

"What do you have there, Vino?"

Lovino contemplated throwing the papers in the trash and flicking her off, but reasoned that he had things to do that weekend and I didn't want to deal her bitching.

"Just a stupid brochure from World Academy."

His mother's eyes lit up, instantly making Lovino's stomach clench.

This couldn't be good.

"You should go, Vino!" his mother had smiled. To other people it looked like a simple sweet smile, but Lovino could see the malice behind it.

He hated that smile. And even more, he hated it here.

"It would be a great change of pace, a chance at something new and exciting!" His mother had continued.

Translation: This would be a good chance to get rid of you.

"Why the hell would I?" Lovino waved the papers around. "It's just some stupid school in the middle of nowhere!"

"Well," his mother tapped her chin. "You would get to see your brother again, for one."

Lovino frowned, anger welling up inside him.

"What?"

"Your brother," his mother batted her eyes. "You want to see him right? I remember when you were younger you would cry and cry, saying you wanted to see your little brother again."

Seven years ago Lovino's father left along with his little brother. His parents divorced after a trip to the doctor in which his father learned Lovino wasn't actually his child.

_Messing things up even as a child. _Lovino shook his head.

At first, Lovino was appalled at the idea that he wanted to see either of them again. The stupid bastard of a father who left him and his dumb, whinny brother. Why would he want to see either of them again?

And yet, he eventually agreed to go to the stupid school. He tried to tell himself that it was because he was curious about the 'exceptional' curriculum and not because of any familial reasons.

So a week later, despite school already being 3 weeks in session, he unenrolled and sent his application to the academy. He had to pack some bags and send them through the mail, but he carried one so he wouldn't have to rely on the postal service.

He took a train ride from his hometown in North Carolina to California. It was a 7 hour ride, enough for him to take a nap. The ride was peaceful, no annoying children running through the aisle and the service was alright. The taxi man who drove him to the entrance was annoying though. He wouldn't stop fucking talking.

But he was fine with all of this, anything to get away from home.

But there were so many goddamn stairs! Looking up, he could see the massive building towering over him with it's three statues. There seemed to be a hundred stairs and he was not about to carry his luggage up several flights of stairs.

And yet, he really didn't want to turn around, go home and explain to his mother that he came home because World Academy had too many stairs.

So, with the least amount of gusto, Lovino sighed grabbed his bags and began his long trek.

20 minutes later and l flight of stairs cleared, Lovino sat heavily on his suitcase, cursing the school. He looked to see he still had a good bit to go, maybe 20 more flights.

"This school needs a damn elevator," he muttered. He could feel his patients wearing thin as he stood once more. As he was reaching the top of the second flight, he missed a step and in an effort to not fall and bust his ass he pulled on his bag which was on the step behind him. This just reversed his fall and as Lovino fell backwards he let out a high pitched scream.

Before he could fall, however, something big and burly halted his fall.

Lovino whipped his head around and seeing that it was a strangely muscular teen that had caught him, Lovino immediately exploded.

"What the fuck!" Lovino jumped out of the teens arms and turned to face him. All Lovino could see through his cloudy, red view was a pair of startled blue eyes. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

"Helping you?" The teen also had blond hair and combined with his accent immediately gave away his ethnicity as German.

"No!" Lovino could feel his anger rising. "You aren't! Why the fuck are there so many stairs at this goddamn school! Do they want their students passing out from exhaustion every time they climb the stairs!? No, I guess they didn't think of that. I mean, what idiot would have a school built in the middle of nowhere?!"

The blue eyed teen's eyes grew wider and wider as Lovino continued his rant. He just stood there, clearly at a lost at what to do. He even seemed… surprised, as if he hadn't expected Lovino to snap at him.

Lovino eventually finished his rant, breathing heavily. He took a few deep breaths and straightened. The teens standing around him were giving him strange looks.

Lovino snatched his bag, which the blond had been holding and turned around, intent on getting out of sight as quickly as he could. Before he could someone grabbed his sleeve.

Lovino saw that it was the blond once again, but this time he wore a look of understanding.

"What the f-"

"You are Lovino, correct?" the blond asked.

"Yes," Lovino replied in almost a growl. He tugged on his sleeve, which the blond released. "How do you know my name, potato bastard?"

"You're…" the blond had a disbelieving look on his face that made Lovino want to his the bastard in his face. "Feliciano's brother?"

This made Lovino stop in his tracks. He turned to fully face the muscular blond, actually taking in his appearance.

His blond hair was combed back impeccably, not a single hair out of place, a clear contrast to Lovino and his dark hair and obnoxious cowlick that he could never comb down. The uniform was a pair of plain khakis and a vest, which made Lovino internally cringe at the thought of wearing it. His shoes were a more acceptable pair of black boots.

"Feli's here?" Lovino didn't mean for his voice to come out like that, weak and helpless, but he couldn't stop the rush of emotions. He subconsciously didn't count on finding his brother here, after all, he didn't know where his father and Feli had moved to. In an attempt to save himself, he immediately continued with, "Take me to him. Now."

The blond narrowed his eyes and when he walked past Lovino, the brunette resisted the urge to flinch, but a small squeak escaped.

"Follow me," the blond then proceeded to grab Lovino's bag, throw it over his shoulder like it was made of feathers, and climb the steps of the academy.

Lovino was about to yell at the blond to put down his suitcase, but he had already cleared a third of the distance to the top.

Lovino took a deep breath, resisting the urge to turn around and leave all this bullshit behind. He came here to see-... to check out the school's program. He didn't come here to deal with this stupid shit. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't turn down the chance to see _them_ again.

As children Lovino didn't care for Feliciano much. He was just a loud, obnoxious kid who clung to Lovino too much. Feliciano was a year younger than Lovino, but he had already shown a great aptitude for art. Lovino had to admit that he had been jealous of Feli's art and tried to sabotage his paintings more than a couple of times. Most times he wasn't discovered by his parents, but Feli always knew.

And yet Feliciano never was angry with him. He'd smile at him, sometimes sadly if the painting he had ruined was one he was happy with, and give Lovino a tight hug, telling him 'It's okay, _fratello_.'

And when they were first separated, Lovino had been angry. His mother slowly fell off her rocker, becoming the bitch she is today; his bastard father had abandoned him; and his brother, his little, annoying, obnoxious, idiotic brother had left him to deal with the madness that was life with their mother.

Lovino had been so upset. He became a lot more irritable and snarky and the fights with his mother left him tired and alone. He had no one, no family to confide in that he knew of and no friends that actually cared about him.

When he heard that Feli and his _Papà _was here, he knew he had to go.

Lovino had made up his mind. He refused, to stay at home any longer. He needed a break and if going to some crazy school was going to give him a break, then he would take it.


	2. Meetings

The school was massive. Lovino had never seen a school this large. The hallways twisted and rose and Lovino knew he would get lost as soon as was left alone.

The blond kept a brisk pace, forcing loving to run every every few seconds.

"Slow down, potato bastard!" Lovino shouted. The blond abruptly turned. Lovino ran to catch up with him and saw the blond stopped in front of a large black and blue door with the image of a sword engraved on its surface. The sword was silver, engraved with black patterns that mesmerized Lovino.

The blond knocked in a strange and seemingly musically way. The door slowly creaked open and a voice thundered down it's misty walkway.

"**Enter, if you dare face death."**

Lovino felt the hair on his arms raise.

"Go on," the blond pointed down the hallway. Lovino saw that the blond was intimidated and… annoyed by the voice.

"Fuck no."

The blond sighed in exasperation.

"Just go through the door, Lovino."

"Did you not hear me, potato fucker? Or is your head too full of mush to understand? I am not going down that goddamn hallway."

"You want to see your brother don't you?" Lovino scowled and the blond sighed.

"You will meet him. He's in there with the Headmaster."

That was the headmaster? Why the … does he sound like that? Maybe it's just some weird technology that this place uses.

"It's just some sound effects," the blond said as if he read Lovino's mind. "He likes to use it to scare people, so he won't have to do any work."

Even with the new knowledge, Lovino still had to muster up the courage to walk toward the door. As Lovino entered the room, which he saw was a long path that ended at something in the distance, the blond spoke.

"I am Ludwig. If you ever need anything… you can ask me and I will assist you as best I can. Good luck."

And the doors closed behind Lovino, trapping him in the room with whatever creature lay inside.

Lovino immediately started banging on the door.

"You fuck! Open the door! You piece of shit! Open the-"

"**Silence in the chamber!"**

Lovino immediately stopped his assault on the door.

"**Come and face me. There is nothing to be afraid of, if you have nothing to hide."**

Lovino heavily contemplated tearing the door down, piece by piece but reasoned he wouldn't get very far.

The path Lovino was on was a paved gravel path lined with white columns on each side. On each column were random items: fruits, pens, utensils, instruments. Lovino had no idea what it meant and wasn't very keen to find out.

Lovino groaned. The path was almost as long as the trek up to the school. Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?

By the time that Lovino approached the structure, he was wheezing, still tired from the walk up the stairs and the half run to this place.

In front of him, there were stairs all around a raised platform with four pillars on each corner. In the middle of the platform was a lawn chair and a table with an assortment of fruits, crackers and cheese.

Two people, one reclining in a lawn chair and the other standing next to the table, were in deep conversation. The older man who reclined on the chair had various curls all over his dark hair. The second, and also the one who made Lovino freeze and his heart drop, had one single piece of hair curling upward to the left.

Lovino stared them down, unwilling to say a word as they finished up their conversation.

"...up there. We can handle it! Luddy and I are one of the best pairs in our class!" the younger with lighter hair was saying.

"That's true, but you know how they are down there. They-" The man noticed him. "Oh, you finally made it!"

The man rose from the chair he had been lounging on , descended the steps, and enveloped Lovino so quickly he didn't have time to react.

"Lovino!" the man squeezed him, temporarily constricting the brunette airways. Lovino struggled to get the man to loosen his hold on him.

"Let go of me, ….!"

The man continued to squeeze and Lovino saw dots clouding his vision. He briefly wondered if he was going to die.

"_Nonno_, let him go! He's turning blue!"

Cold, fresh air entered Lovino's lungs as fell to the ground, gasping. As his vision was slowly clearing, he saw a figure kneel in front of him. Now that the teen was closer, Lovino could see the similarities in their features.

"Are you alright, Lovi?"

"He's fine~" the man let out a deep, merriful laugh.

"Fine?" Lovino choked out, turning to the man. He tried standing, but fell back to his knees. "You almost strangled me! Are you stupid!?"

The man laughed again. The teen held out his hand which Lovino, pridefully ignored. He shakily stood, ignoring the concerned look the other teen was giving him. He didn't want his pity.

"Shut up!" Lovino could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to will them away. "I don't want a bastard like you laughing at me! What the hell is up with this stupid place!"

Lovino didn't think he could take anymore of this. He was tired of this school and it's stupid architecture and it's ridiculous location. He'd rather go home and deal with his mother than this any longer.

"Lovino~ _Nonno_ was just happy to see you."

And there he was. The person that Lovino did _not_ come here to see. He had been trying to simultaneously ignore and study Feliciano, but his annoying brother made it so difficult.

His bubbly brother was the same as ever, same stupid smile and same stupid messy hair.

"Ve~"

And that same stupid tick.

"Ah~ Lovino, this is Feliciano, your younger brother."

"I know that," Lovino snapped.

"Ve~" Feliciano tilted his head slightly. He then enveloped Lovino in a hug almost as tight as the one he was just in. "Lovi!"

"Get off me!"

Feli let go, but held onto his shoulders, looking him in the eyes.

_Holy shit. He's taller than me._

"I'm glad to see you again, Lovino!" Feli smiled. "We're going to have so much fun together. We'll cook and draw and sing together~ And we can go swimming and I can invite Luddy and-"

"Now, Feli, we have to get Lovino settled in first," the man placed his hand on Feli's shoulder. "And we need to see if he's willing to stay."

Feli's smile dropped.

"Oh. Right…"

"Lovino," the man said. He did some grand gesture that looked like nonsense to Lovino. "I am the great Romulus, your grandfather."

"What?!" Lovino said, narrowing his eyes. "I've never heard of you. _Papà _and _Mamma_ said their parents passed away before I was born."

"Maria..." Romulus sighed. "She never liked me very much-"

A loud ring resounded in the room, echoing off of non existent walls. A large water basin rose from the center of the room and heavy mist began to fall from it.

"Feli, take Lovino to his room." Romulus looked to the basin. Feli looked as if he wanted to say something, but Romulus cut him off. "We'll talk later. Explain things to Lovino as best as you can for me."

Feli solemnly nodded his head. He smiled at Lovino.

"Come on, _fratello_," Feli began walking back to the huge doors.

Lovino turned back to Romulus, who stood in front of the basin, looking down in it as if he saw more than water.

"What is that?" Lovino asked.

Romulus smiled.

"Don't worry, Lovino. Everything will be explained. Feli will explain everything."

Lovino reluctantly followed his brother out into the hallway.

When the doors closed, Feliciano stopped and gave Lovino a stare that made his skin crawl.

"Lovi..." Feliciano said, sadly. His stare unnerved Lovino.

It has been years since they had seen each other. Lovino didn't have a clue of what to say to him. He had never really thought he would ever see his little brother again, much less get to talk to him.

The last time they had seen each other was at the courthouse. Feliciano had been crying and waving at him sadly while Lovino had been biting everyone who tried to hold him back from the retreating car.

"Uh…" Lovino was at a loss for words.

"Come on! We can talk later. I want to show you around!"

There was a lot more to World Academy than he first thought. The architecture was top notch. The wide hallways and simple, but elegant doors were wonderful. The pond in the backyard was beautiful as well as the view from the East wing, overlooking the ocean.

But there were a few things that confused Lovino.

"Why is there a training room? Is there a karate club here or something?"

"N-no," Feli stuttered. His eyes darted around.

"Then what is it for?"

"Uh… hey! Antonio!" Feli dashed towards a figure in the distance.

"Hey! Come back here, idiot!"

By the time Lovino reached Feliciano, his brother had finished his hushed conversation with a tanned teen with wilder hair than both he and Feliciano.

"Lovi, meet Antonio. Antonio, this is my big brother, Lovi~!" Feli said, waving his hands between the two.

"_Hola, _Lovi~" the tanned teen greeted. His bubbly attitude was already irritating him.

"Ciao, _bastardo._"

"Lovi! That's not nice."

"It's fine~" the brunette, Antonio had a smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you."

Lovino scowled.

"Ve~ Isn't it nice to make new friends?" Feliciano's smile never left his face. "Now it's time to visit the dorms!"

"Wait a-!" Lovino looked around him. "My suitcase! Where did I... That bastard still has it!"

"Who?"

"The german…" Lovino balled his hands up. "When I see him again, I'm gonna-"

"Ludwig?" Feliciano asked. When Lovino nodded, Feli said, "Oh, then he probably took it to your room."

"Why would he know where my room is?"

"I told him." Feliciano grabbed Lovino's sleeve, before he could say anything else. "  
Now let's go!"

The dorms were located on the West side of the school. The trio had to walk about a quarter of a mile to the buildings were the students stayed.

"There are a couple of different places that people stay in," Feliciano commented, cheerfully. "There are the regular male and female dorms. Then there are the dorms for those who have a partner and are a part of the Advanced Talent class. The last dorm building is where the alumni's live, people who choose to live at campus."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Lovino asked.

Feliciano shrugged.

"Maybe they just love it here!"

They arrived at a four story dorm room. It resembled an apartment complex as each pair (or trio according to Antonio) could live together.

"Here we are!" The trio stopped in front of room 134.

"Is he here?" Feli whispered to Antonio. Lovino rolled his eyes. Feliciano was never good at whispering. Or keeping things a secret.

No, he said he had something to do," Antonio sighed. "He probably won't be back until Monday."

Impatient, Lovino pushed through them and opened the door.

The apartment was clean, cleaner than any place he had seen someone living in before. There was a kitchen to his right and a bathroom that connected to another room on his left. In front of him was another room with another bathroom and before that was a small living room.

Before anyone could stop him, Lovino opened the door to the first bedroom. There were posters of rock and roll artists he had never heard of on its walls and a whiteboard with different events written in neat, precise handwriting. On one dresser, were small action figures and plushies, but what really caught Lovino's eye was the guitar and drum kit pushed into a corner of the room.

Out of curiosity, he walked over and picked up a stick.

"Uh... Lovi, you probably shouldn't touch that." Antonio said.

Lovino put the stick down, but continued looking around the room. All the while, Feliciano and Antonio fidgeted in the doorway nervously.

"Is he dangerous or something?"

"Huh?"Antonio and Feli asked at the same time.

"My… roommate. You bastards are acting as if he's deadly." Lovino looked at a picture on the nightstand. It held three people, but Lovino didn't get the chance to look closely as Antonio began gently leading him out the room.

"What the hell was that for?" Antonio closed the door behind him.

"He doesn't like people touching his stuff," Antonio said. "He gets a little crabby when they do. You want to make a good first impression, right?" Antonio continued after seeing Lovino's expression. "He's not a bad guy, he just likes keeping some things to himself."

"Right~ Here's your room, Lovi~" Feli opened his room door.

His room was sparsely decorated with a bed in the center of the room and a nightstand with a lap on top sitting next to the bed. He saw that this room also had a bathroom. His suitcase also sat in a branching off closet. (Guess that bastard brought it here after all.)

Feli took a leap and flopped on his bed.

"It's so comfy~"

"Get off of my bed, idiot!" Antonio jumped on it next. "You too, _bastardo_"

"But it's so comfortable~ Come join us, Lovi~" Antonio said, reclining on the bed.

"Hell no!"

Twenty minutes later after fusing and playful fighting, the trio moved to the living room.

"Have a seat, Lovi," Antonio patted the seat beside him. As it was the only other seat open, Lovino sat, but on the far end of the couch. There was a silence in the room as Antonio and Feliciano traded looks.

"What is it?" Lovino snapped, tired on the back and forth.

"Do you know why you're here at the Academy, Lovi?" Antonio asked.

"To go to school…?" Feliciano and Antonio exchanged looks once again.

"Not quite."


	3. Information

"What do you mean?" the other two remained silent. "Damn it! What the hell is it?"

"Well," Antonio scooted to the edge of his seat and waved his hands around rapidly. "You know about souls, right?" Antonio saw Lovino's blank look and continued. "Well, there are some people with special souls, stronger than normal humans. And then there are people with souls stronger than those special humans."

Lovino just stared at him. What the hell was this idiot saying?

"The people with special souls have souls that are a lot stronger than others. These people are called _Bellators_ or Weapon Technicians."

"What does this have to do with anything!" Lovino shouted. The other two shushed him.

"Long ago," Antonio started, albeit dramatically. "Bellator_s _helped protect the world by fighting off demons. Normal weapons did little damage to them, so the Bellators formed a new plan: to create a weapon to combat them, the Demon Weapons."

"Cut the bullshit," Lovino was tired of the story. "This has nothing to do with why I'm here! Or are you idiots trying to tell me this is real?"

"Just listen, Lovi," Feliciano said.

"Why the hell should I listen to you?"

"Because," Feliciano stood and walked to stand in front of Lovino. He kneeled and grabbed both of Lovino's hands. "_Fratello_, I know we haven't see each other in a long time, but I want you to believe in me just this once, okay? Listen to Toni and then you can cuss and threaten us all you want. You can even hit me if you really want to."

Lovino stared at him. Feliciano had changed so much from when he last saw him. He wasn't the same, lively kid that was so clumsy, he'd trip over air. He seemed almost… reliable.

"Fine," Lovino snatched his hands back. Feliciano gave him a big smile and went back to his seat. "Finish your story, stupid _bastardo_"

"Gracias," Antonio gave him a thankful smile and continued. "In order to create these weapons, the Bellators needed a strong soul, one that could easily defeat a demons, a demon's soul. "

"The fuck?" Antonio nodded, solemnly as he continued.

"This caused a lot of problems between the two groups. This school was created as a place where Bellators and Demon Weapons can learn to control their powers and, if they choose, learn to fight the demons."

"And…?" Lovino wanted to know where this was going.

"And~" Feliciano jumped in. "You're a Bellator, Lovi! Just like me and Toni!"

The amount of bullshit that someone could come up with amazed Lovino. He always knew Feliciano was a fan of stories, but for him to drag someone else into his obsession was unforgivable.

"This is stupid," Lovino stood.

"Wait!" Feliciano stood with him. "Lovi, just listen!"

But Lovino was done with listening. This was the last straw of bullshit he was going to draw. The absurdity of this school was amazing. When he gets home, he should probably call someone. A mental health specialist for his demented brother and the other bubbly idiot.

Lovino quickly exited the dorm and left, determined to find the front of the building and leave this place. He was willing to put up with the strange stares and all.

He kicked a rock, watching it skid across the ground. He walked up the side stairs and walked around the main building to the front, not paying attention to the frightened people around him.

_My suitcase!_ Lovino thought, stopping in his tracks. How could he forget his bag? Well, someone could just mail it to him. It would save him the hassle of carrying it all-

A large crack resounded to his right. Lovino looked up to see one of the pillars lining the front of the school had cracked in two.

"Goddamnit, Braginski!" a voice to his left shouted.

But Lovino barely registered the scream. He was frozen. His legs refused to move even while his mind screamed _Go, go! God damn it, Lovino, just go!_

He watched the pillar in slow motion as it fell towards him.

_I'm going to die! I'm going to, die! I... I knew I shouldn't have come here._

And with this thought, Lovino's world turned white and then black.

~Skip~

Lovino woke to his back and legs aching. He blinked a couple of times, to clear his vision.

The walls didn't quite look familiar to him, but he was used to his mother changing things in his room, even after he yelled at her and told her no.

"You're awake!" someone to his right said. "Sit up slowly."

Lovino didn't know who it was who helped him sit up, but definitely knew they weren't supposed to be here.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm the nurse here," a man with blond hair spoke, jolting Lovino.

"What... happened?" Lovino asked, slowly.

"You fainted," the nurse replied. He held out his hand. "Im-"

"Fainted? Why did I faint?"

"Surprise, I think." The nurse, unperturbed by Lovino's rude interruption, flipped through some pages on a clipboard. He frowned at it's pages. "One of the support pillars broke while you were walking underneath it. Someone ran in and saved you. You were only out for about thirty minutes."

"Saved me?" Lovino felt ice form in his belly. "Then everything's real? I thought…"

He trailed off, unable to finish his thought. The brief moment in which he opened his eyes, he had believed he was back home.

"Are you okay?" The nurse asked. Lovino nodded. "You can leave after a brief check up, okay?"

Afterwards, Lovino was handed a sheet of paper.

"These are your classes."

"I-"

"Please," the nurse said, his eyes practically begging. "I know everything is confusing right now, but try sitting through a class. You'll get to see how things are around here! It's not bad, the people here are some of the kindest you will ever meet in your life."

This place was crazy. Lovino definitely knew that now. He almost died earlier and this nurse was trying to convince him to stay.

"In," the nurse checked his watch. "Thirty minutes, orientation will begin in the cafeteria. If you don't like what you hear, you can let the headmaster know."

Lovino knew he should decline, but the seed of curiosity had already sprouted despite the pit of fear slowly growing in his stomach.

"Where do I go, now?"

"Oh!" The nurse circled him to look over his shoulder. "Let's see…" The nurse ran his finger down the blocks. "It's 2:50…. Your fourth block is World History with " The nurse walked out of the office, Lovino following.

2:50? He had already been here for three hours?

"Down that hall and to the right. Just look for his name or room number. After that class ends, one of the students should be able to tell you how to get to the cafeteria or you can come back and ask me."

"...Thanks."

Lovino didn't know what he expected would be in the class when he entered. If Antonio and Feliciano's stories were to be trusted, or true for that matter, then some of the students here could turn into weapons.

Lovino found the door, a solid, oak door akin to those found in colleges. Through the small window, Lovino could see a man with a cat shaped hat, who looked sleepy enough to fall asleep on his feet. He stood in front of the classroom, pointing at the board every so often.

_Looks boring_, Lovino thought. He saw that the seats were elevated in a V formation. The class had about 20-25 kids. They all seemed normal to him. Maybe those two idiots really are crazy. Lovino has seen nothing that would make him believe this school was created so that children could learn to control their 'powers.'

Maybe the staff was in on this. They must have told a whole bunch of mental kids that this school is supposed to protect them and to train them to keep the world safe from 'demons.'

_Then why the hell was I invited?_

Lovino shook his head. He knew he was stalling, plus none of that bullshit was real. If he wanted answers, standing at this door was not going to help.

Lovino took a deep breath and opened the door.

It made no sound, but as soon as he stepped in the classroom, everyone turned to look at him. Lovino hated being the center of attention. He could feel goosebumps rising as the teacher blinked sleepily at him.

"Ah… Lovino Vargas?" Lovino nodded. He tried to ignore the excited whispers he heard at the sound of his name. The teacher continued, "Welcome to World History. Pick an empty seat and…" The man's head dipped. "...note… work…"

Lovino was startled to see the man had fallen asleep standing up! The class looked unperturbed. They continued to whisper, marveling at the newcomer.

Lovino was unsure if he should take a seat or go and get someone before the man fell and hurt himself.

Before he could come to a decision, a familiar, curly set of hair entered his vision and greeted him.

"_Hola, _Lovi~"

"...hi...," Lovino could feel the stares boring into him on all sides, making him wish he had turned around when he had the chance.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Lovino gritted his teeth, glaring at the goofy smile the other male wore. "Is… is this actually a 'World History' class?"

"Of course it is." Antonio gave him a confused look.

"Where we learn about different countries and their origins?"

"Yes…?"

"So… this had nothing to do with… what you were talking about earlier?" Antonio's eyes lit up and Lovino wished he hadn't said anything.

"So you believe us!?" Antonio stepped closer.

"No!" It was now quiet in the classroom. Everyone had their eyes glued to one individual, Lovino. He knew he had to get out of here.

Antonio blocked his path as he was leaving the class.

"Move!"

"Wait!" Antonio held his hands out in front of him. "Just wait! I can prove it to you!"

"Antonio? What's wrong?" A blond man with a small scruffy beard walked towards them.

"Francis!" Antonio ran over, grabbed the blond man's hand, and pulled him back in front of Lovino. "Right on time."

"What are you talking about, _bastardo_?"

"Lovino's new here," Antonio started. "And since the Covert act years ago, not many people out there know we exist! And because of that, Lovi here has a hard time believing that people can transform into weapons!"

"He thinks people can't-"

"How stupid!"

"Of course people can turn into weapons! I knew that before coming to the Academy!"

Lovino clenched his fists at the course of laughter and exclamations from the watching students.

"What the hell are you bastards laughing at?!"

The students instantly quieted, but Lovino paid no mind. He turned back to the two standing in front of him, Antonio who looked confused and the blond, Francis, understanding.

"Move! Or I swear I'll kick your ass!"

"But Lovi if you just-"

"No!" Antonio flinched. Lovino felt a little bad, but, at that moment he could care less. "I don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit! I'm going home!"

"Lovino."

"What?!" Lovino snapped at the blond.

"I understand how you feel. I came here a few years ago and thought all of this was crazy," Francis said. He looked at Antonio who nodded. "Just watch."

"No! Are you bastards deaf? I am-"

Lovino stopped mid sentence, watching the spectacle in front of him.

Francis began to emit dark blue smoke from his body. His hands, feet, hair, everything dissolved in a flash of light that swirled and gathered into Antonio's waiting hand. The mist hardened and reformed into a dagger that resembled a rapier.

Lovino was astonished. Did that blond bastard …. Just turn into a weapon?

"Wha…" Lovino looked around. No one looked surprised or ready to scream. Everyone just stared. "You- He-"

"Voila~" Lovino jumped at hearing a voice come from the weapon Antonio held. "I turned into an elegant _poignard_."

"You were a few second slower than usual, Francis~" Someone teased.

"Hey! I- was just going slow so Lovino could see the transformation!"

"Sure~" the room exploded into laughter.

"See, Lovi," Antonio grinned. "It's all true. Everything Feliciano and I told you is 100% true."

Lovino took a few steps back. Confusion was the most persistent emotion he could feel, welling up inside of him, fit to explode. He had so many questions.

"How the hell is he able to do that!?" Lovino pointed at Francis and Antonio.

"You'll learn all about this in your EXTRA studies," Antonio exclaimed. "They usually take place in the afternoon after regular classes. I- ouch! Francis, turn back!"

"Sorry, _mon ami_," the black mist appeared and reformed into Francis. Francis dusted off his clothes and rubbed his hand where a red mark could be seen forming.

"He's hurt!?"

Antonio looked as if was about to answer until a sleepy voice interrupted.

"Is someone fighting in my classroom?" The teacher asked. He was still standing in the same place he had fallen asleep.

"No sir," A teen in the back answered.

The teacher blinked.

"Oh."

A hollow metallic sound resounded throughout the room. The students filed out of the room, though Lovino still saw the occasional snicker or blank stare aimed at him.

"You ready?" Antonio appeared beside Lovino, making him jump. Antonio just laughed.

"For what?"

Francis stood beside the door and waved at the two to follow.

"You have orientation to go to right? We'll take you there."

Lovino didn't want to follow the two, but he didn't know how to get to the cafeteria. Reluctantly, he followed.


	4. Orientation

"Hey, Lovino?"

"Hm?" Lovino was staring out the window at the landscape below as they walked through the wide hallways of the school.

"Are you alright?" At first Lovino thought he was talking about when he had walked out on him and Feli earlier, but then he said, "I heard about what happened from Francis. A pillar broke!" Lovino saw Antonio's reflection give him a reassuring smile, frowned and focused back on the water. "It was a good thing it didn't hit you! But I guess it makes sense Gil sav-"

Lovino turned at the sound of Antonio grunting in pain. Antonio rubbed his side.

"Shh," Francis hushed.

"_Lo siento_," Antonio mumbled.

"What the …?"

"It's nothing." Antonio gave a pained smile. Lovino's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, look!" Francis pointed at a door. "The cafeteria!"

Francis opened the door gesturing for Lovino to enter. The blond winked.

"_Enter~_"

Lovino scrunched up his nose and walked in as far away from the blond as he could.

"We'll be waiting here for you, Lovi!"

Lovino closed the door behind him.

"Mr. Vargas?"

The cafeteria was much larger than any he had been in before. Rows and rows of tables stretched out in front of him with individual tables randomly dotted here and there. Several people sat at tables to the right where a stage rested. A man, who only looked as if he were in his early twenties, stood at the podium.

"What?" Lovino snapped.

"Have a seat," the man gestured at the two tables of students sitting in front of him.

Lovino sat at a table on the second row. He briefly studied each of the students, trying to figure out who were weapons and who were bellators.

"Lovino," a dark haired woman held out green name tag. Lovino eyed it. "Here."

The tag read _Bellator_ in white letters. Lovino then noticed that everyone wore these tags. The woman who gave him the tag wore a red one that read _Weapon_ in black letters.

The dark haired man on stage cleared his throat.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," the man said. "To World Academy!" There was a few scattered applause. The man pushed his glasses up. "I am Roderick Edelstein, the president of the SDH or the Special Demon Hunter class. For some of you, this is your first time here at our Academy."

Some of the students to Lovinos right shifted nervously.

"Things are different here, much different than the average high school," Roderick continued. "I would like to say this right out, this school is not for the faint of heart."

Whispers rose in the room as the students looked around in confusion.

"This school was created to train Demon Weapons and Weapon Technicians to fight against demon-kind. These individuals are apart of the SDH class like myself and Ms. Héderváry."

The dark haired woman stood, smiled and gave a small wave. She sat down as Roderick continued.

"Not everyone hunts demons, however. Some stay for the schooling. Our teachers and facilities are number one in the country. If you complete the course, there is no doubt you will be able to get into just about any school of your choosing. If this isn't for you, you may leave."

Lovino was surprised to see that no one left. Did all of these people have a death wish?

"Good," Roderick grabbed several sheets of paper from his desk and handed it to Ms.Héderváry. "In these packets are some of the finer information about our academy. There are several sites that students have put in there that they recommend new students see. There is also a brief outline of how school works here which I will now explain.

"School for everyone starts at 8:00. Before that, at 7:30 there is a homeroom period that students can attend if they wish for information. Your homeroom teachers will go more in depth Monday. For new students, the first class with be Fundamentals. Technicians and Weapons will take separate classes that will help each of them understand their roles here. You will have four classes each day and depending on your performances in those classes will determine if you need to take extra classes."

A students raised their hand.

"Yes?"

"Are those extra classes for those who do well? And exactly do we learn in our classes if we only take four a day?"

"The extra classes are for those who do well and those who are failing. It is possible to be kicked out of the academy if your scores are not up to standards." There was a tense silence. "But that rarely happens. Usually if someone does fail, the supplementary classes help them enough to get them back on their feet. As for your other classes," Roderick shuffled some papers. "Tomorrow at 9:00 you all will meet back here to take a placement exam. You do not have classes, as tomorrow is Saturday. The day will be spent with you getting to know the campus and students. This will give you until Monday morning to unenroll. Any more questions?"

"Um…" A petite girl raised her hand. "What about partners?"

"Ah, that will be handled in some after school events the school hosts. There isn't one this weekend so as not to overwhelm you, but there will be one Monday afternoon. You will hear more about it from your teacher." Roderick looked around. "Is that all?"

When no one raised their hand, Roderick flipped a page. "Well now that that is out of the way, we can now move onto official school rules. Turn to page 4 in your packet."

Lovino's eye widened. There were 13 pages worth of rules in this packet. He clenched his hands, resisting the urge to hit himself in the face with the packet.

"I will now go over the rules and procedures. 1) All students must…"

Lovino didn't listen to half of what the man said. From the moment he saw him, Lovino should have guessed that Robert( what the hell was his name again?) was a stickler for rules. Damn prick.

After the Prick (As Lovino took to calling him in his head) was finished, Ms.Héderváry stood and clapped her hands.

"Okay!" She looked at the students happily. "Before we show you all to your dorm rooms, I would just like to say that I am glad you all are here. The first weeks might be tough and not everyone finds the best partner for them, but I know you will persevere!" She looked each student in the eyes and when she got to Lovino, he shivered. "Good luck! Girls, I will show you to your dorms."

The few girls stood and followed the woman.

"Follow me," Roderick said, walking back through the door.

Outside, Antonio and Francis were playing a card game.

"Red."

"Red? Antonio the color is blue."

"But I put down a draw two."

"You can't put a draw two over a draw four."

"You can't?"

"No!"

"Ahem."

The two looked at Roderick who wrinkled his nose disdainfully at the two.

"What are you two doing?"

Antonio stood.

"We were waiting for Lovino," Antonio leaned around the man to make sure Lovino was in the crowd of boys behind exiting the cafeteria.

"Well…" Roderick looked back at Lovino. "You can take him back to his dorm since he isn't staying with the other first years."

"Why not?" Lovino asked. The three shared the same look as Francis and Antonio did earlier, when Antonio was asking about his well being.

"Special privileges," Roderick said in a way that Lovino knew he was pulling it out of his ass. "As... the grandson of our headmaster."

"Right," Lovino scoffed. "And i'm a fucking monkey."

Roderick cleared his throat awkwardly

"Come on," Antonio said. Francis picked up the remaining cards.

"Is anyone going to ever tell me anything!" Lovino yelled.


	5. Homeroom and Football

The days when by smoothly, or as smoothly as Lovino would allow.

He pestered everyone, Antonio, Feliciano, that crazy idiot and his supposed grandfather, Romulus and even the potato bastard. Lovino was determined to get his answers and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

It was crazy, the idea that there were people in this world who could turn into weapons and that there were only a certain group of people could wield these weapons. There was a whole school and even town (which Lovino learned after he had been invited to go shopping with his brother and the potato) that was keeping this large secret.

According to the potato, that wasn't always the case. Years ago an 'incident' happened that risked the lives of the students and faculty of the academy and the lives of people all across the world. Because of this incident, various nations banned together to regulate the academy. They wiped all knowledge of the school from public institutions and silenced those who knew of it.

Lovino thought this was ridiculous. How are people supposed to know the dangers of demons if they aren't aware of their existence? The government makes a lot of stupid decisions. How in the hell do you protect yourself against something you don't know exists!?

Monday rolled around and surprisingly, he was still here.

"Lovino!" Feliciano exclaimed. He stood outside the door the sun's morning rays faintly peeking over the watery horizon. Feliciano was dressed in a brown vest and brown plaid pants.

"It's too early," Lovino grumbled. He was still wearing his pajamas. "And what the hell are you wearing? Is that the uniform?"

"Oh!" Feliciano looked down at his outfit. "There's no set uniform here. The school offers some, but street clothes are okay."

"Good."

"Can I come in?"

He and Feli hadn't really had any alone time together. The past few days had mostly been spent with Lovino getting to know the academy better, though he'd like to argue that he still knew next to nothing about the place. Tours and pre-orientation took up most of his weekend.

The two brothers sat in silence. The clock above the couch ticked rhythmically. It was calming in a way, but also nerve wracking.

"What…" Lovino scrambled for something to say as Feliciano turned to look at him. "Where's _papà_?"

Lovino hadn't seen his absent father the entire three or so days he had been here. At first he thought that maybe he was out doing something. He heard that some students and faculty were often sent on missions out of the city.

"He left," Feliciano said. He was surprisingly aloof. "He said he wanted to try out life in Florida and he left me here with Grandpa Roma."

"Oh."

The silence stretched on, longer than before.

"I'm going to make breakfast," Feliciano hopped up. He gave a slight smile. "You can go get dressed while I'm cooking."

30 minutes later, they were walking to the building. Lovino was relieved as the scenery allowed for him to marvel at the view, without having to talk.

"So, Lovino," Feliciano started. "How is _mamma_?"

Lovino sighed.

"Fine."

"Ve~ That's good." Silence then, "How about you, Lovi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you fine going to school here? Wouldn't you be leaving your friends?"

"Psh," Lovino rolled his eyes. "They're probably happy I left. It's not like any of them really liked me anyway."

"That's not true!"

"How would you know? You and that bastard left years ago."

Feliciano went silent. Lovino would like to say he was happy for the silence, but the knot in his throat tightened at the lack of conversation.

"...The only thing I would miss is my keyboard…"

"Keyboard?" Feliciano's eyes lit up. "You know how to play the piano, Lovi? That's so cool~"

"It's nothing much, idiot," Lovino said. He scrubbed at his cheeks where he could feel them heating up. "_Mamma_ forced me to take them. She wanted to brag to her friends that 'her _bambino'_ could play an instrument. She liked to show me off like I was a damn trophy."

"That's still cool!" Feliciano said. "I know a couple of people who can play instruments and it looks pretty hard to play."

"It's not fucking rocket science."

"Think you can teach me, Lovi? I tried learning from Roderick, but he plays to fast," Feli gave him puppy eyes.

"...maybe."

"Yay!"Feliciano enveloped him in a hug.

"Oof! Get off me!" Lovino struggled to pull Feliciano off of him. Feliciano was strangely strong. Lovino could feel himself heaving from the effort of trying to push him off. From the confines of his collar heard a faint,

"I'm really glad you're here, Lovi."

Lovino couldn't handle physical affection very well, so he stared out at the ocean while Feliciano hugged him. They stood there for a few moments until a hollow ring sounded from the school.

"We're late!" Feliciano hurriedly let go of Lovino and grabbed his wrists. "Come on. I have to show you to your class!"

The door was closed when they arrived. Lovino could see a familiar man, the one who ran the orientation. Above the door was a sign that read _**Abeona.**_

_I have him as my homeroom teacher? _Lovino thought. _The stuffy bastard who made us read all 300 pages of the Handbook? _

"I'll talk to you later, okay, Lovi?" Feliciano dashed off before Lovino could think to answer.

Lovino turned back to the door, prepared to knock when he saw the door was already opened.

"Mr. Vargas. Late again?" the stuffy bastard asked him.

"Yeah, this school is too goddamn big," Lovino answered, satisfied when Roderick scrunched up his nose.

"Please keep the language to a minimum." Roderick opened the door wider. "Come take your seat."

There weren't many students in the class, only about 15. He sat in the first empty spot next to a petite girl, who, he recognized from orientation.

"H-hello," the girl nervously greeted. "I'm Lili."

"Lovino," Lovino disliked just about everyone he had met, but he wasn't going to be rude to a girl.

"Nice to meet you."

"Now class _Abeona_, I welcome you to your first day of the year." Roderick stood at the podium. "You may call me Mr. Edelstein. I am very sorry for the delay. Our classes for all students usually start September 1st, last Monday, but there were a few things the staff had to handle before we could admit you all." Roderick smiled. "I'm happy to see that many of you chose to stay and enjoy the many programs that our school has to offer. I hope you all have a wonderful time at World Academy."

Lovino wondered what happened to those that chose to leave the academy. New comers signed an agreement that they would not speak about the 'special' lessons the school offered. What happens to someone if they do?

"Whoooo!" a blond yelled from across the room. He pumped his fist in the air. "It's hero time!"

"Alfred!" the teen next to him who looked almost exactly like the first one, whispered. He pulled on his brothers sleeve.

"What's wrong, Mattie? Aren't you excited!" the first blond- Alfred practically shouted.

"Can you please sit, Mr. Jones," Roderick said, rubbing his forehead. "You can express your excitement another time. Right now, I need to finish telling you all some important information before I start class."

Alfred pouted, but obeyed.

"Now as I was saying," Roderick said. "Everyday, school starts with Homeroom. It isn't required that you attend, but it is recommended as during this time I give out announcements and other relevant information." Roderick paused as if he expected someone else to interrupt. "This class is a part of the ODI program. It stands for Ordinary Demon Instruction. This program is for first years and for those who wish to simply learn to control their abilities and get an education. This does not include the demon fighting class."

"What!" the blond, Alfred stood once again. "We aren't going to get to fight?"

"No," Roderick replied, annoyed. "Only those in the SDH class are permitted to go on missions and fight demons. However," Roderick said a little louder, cutting off Alfred's next protest. "You can move up in the curriculum. In order to do that, you must find a partner that you resonate well with and prove to the staff and Headmaster that you are prepared to change programs."

"Awww…" Alfred groaned. "How long will that taaaakeeee?"

"It depends on you," Roderick replied. "Typically, a student becomes skillful enough to move up after 2 or 3 years."

"What!?" the whole class flinched at Alfreds skriek. "2 years! Why?"

"Because, Mr. Jones," Roderick said, clearly fed up with the teens outbursts. "You need the skills. We will not tolerate anyone moving up who isn't ready. We will not send someone out to die. Is that clear, Mr. Jones?"

"Bu-"

"Is that clear? Or am I going to have to kick you out of the program?"

Lovino smirked at seeing the teen turn pale. That should shut him up for the rest of the period.

"No sir. I understand."

Roderick looked down at his watch and sighed.

"The news will have to be cut short for today," Roderick sighed. He picked up a stack of paper. "The most important thing for today is that you fill out these forms. They contain a quick summary of some of the most important rules and some documents you have to sign."

Roderick walked to the end of the row and handed some of the sheets to the teen sitting there.

"If possible, turn these sheets into the me or the office by the end of the day."

"Um," someone said. "What does the name change line mean? Are we supposed to change our names? Legally?"

"As you all know, those outside this city, Palatine, do not know of our existence. They believe World Academy is a normal private school, more along the lines of a boarding school, that has a very elite list. We have your names under tight lock here, but sometimes, circumstances arrive that will force us to make your identities known. In an effort to preserve you, we allow for students to change their names. It's actually recommended. Though I would like to advise you all to pick… reasonable names."

Lovino stared down at his sheet. He had heard about this from Feli. Feliciano had told him that the Headmaster gave him the Veneciano as he had been born in Venice.

Lovino had been born in Rome. Their parents had been traveling Italy as his mother was researching her ancestry, years ago. Her mother was born and raised in America, but had been amazed by Italian culture and lived there until she met _Papà_, had Lovino and Feliciano, then moved back home. Lovino never knew why his mother left Italy. He had never bothered to ask as lately, majority of his time was spent avoiding her.

Feliciano recommended that he go by the name Romano, meaning born in Rome. He was hesitant to accept any name his brother gave him.

"Romano, huh?" Lili was looking at his paper. "That's nice name."

"...thanks," Lovino glanced at her paper. "Are you going to change your name?"

"No," Lili shook her head. "I like my name. I wouldn't even know what to change it to."

Lovino didn't reply. He turned back to his paper. He didn't care one way or another about changing his name. It didn't seem that important since it would be more of a nickname than anything.

"Let's begin," Roderick walked to the whiteboard. "This is your Fundamentals class where you will learn about different types of souls, soul wavelengths and how this relates to you as an individual. We will first discuss the soul. Now the soul…"

The class was interesting, Lovino had to admit. Though the teacher bored him to death, the subject was interesting.

Next he had Specialty Math. Lovino almost pulled his hair out for how ridiculous the class was. Who the hell wanted to know how to find the age of a soul? Or how to calculate wavelengths? It was almost a relief when Lovino saw Feliciano and Antonio waiting for him outside the class.

"Lovi~" Antonio greeted. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Lovino grumbled.

"What would you like to eat? We can go to that shop we saw the other day?"

Lovino scowled at the teen.

"It doesn't fucking matter. Let's just buy something that doesn't taste like shit."

"Then let's get some pizza!" Feliciano exclaimed.

The food here wasn't as bad a Lovino first thought it would be. There were food from various state and countries being sold in the cafeteria. There was even more down in the city.

"How are you liking your classes so far, Lovi?" Feliciano asked. Feli sat next to him as he happily ate his pizza.

"Well," Lovino started. "Technician Fundamentals was okay if the teacher wasn't so fucking _boring_. Specialty Math was fucking stupid."

"So you don't like them?" Antonio asked, confused.

"I can ask _Nonno_ to change them for you." Feliciano said.

"They're fine!" Lovino snapped.

"That's good!"

Lovino pulled out his schedule. His classes after lunch were P.E. and World History. He didn't stay in history long enough to know if it was something to look forward to, but from what he saw yesterday, he knew it was going to be boring.

"Why is the lunch so damn long?" Lovino asked, looking at the clock. It was only 11:23. Lunch wouldn't be over for almost an hour.

A wide smile stretched over Antonio and Feliciano's faces.

"What is it now?" Lovino didn't like their looks.

Antonio led the way through the back doors and into the open space that was the Academy's back yard. To the right was an open field with an enclosure. The field held fruits and vegetables and some plants Lovino had never seen before. On the right was track and field complete with bleachers and store rooms. In the boundaries between left and right was a worn grassy area were some students were playing games.

"Hey!" Antonio jogged over to a students who held a whistle and soccer ball. "Is there room for me and my friends to play?"

Lovino huffed at the mention of he and his brother. When had they agreed they were all friends?

"Sure!" the referee looked at Feliciano and Lovino. "Veneziano and… Romano, right?"

Lovino ignored Feliciano's excited laugh. Guess news of his name already got around. He stiffly nodded.

"Alright," the referee nodded to the field. "I think the team on the right is missing a player." The referee looked at the group. "Hey! What's your team name?"

"The Avengers!"

"We can't name ourselves after a movie, Alfred."

"Not the movie, the heroes! You can be-"

"I'd rather not."

"Do you want me to join your team, Lovi?" Feliciano asked. Lovino turned away from the group.

"It doesn't matter," Lovino didn't want to join the same team as the loudmouth, but he also didn't want to be alone on another team. "Just don't trip or do something stupid."

"Okay~"


	6. PE and Confusion Galore

They passed the next 40 minutes playing soccer( or as many if the foreigners insisted, Fútbol). Lovino had to admit he had a good time. Back home, not many people played soccer outside of games and practice, and when they did, the people were assholes. Here, they played by the rules and made sure the game went smoothly.

"Looovviii~"

"What is it, Feliciano?"

"We have P.E. together~"

"I know that, dumbass. You told me after seeing my schedule."

Feliciano didn't seem deterred by Lovino's insult.

"This is our first class together! We should celebrate. I can ask Luddy to bake a cake-"

"I don't want anything that potato bastard cooks. He'll ruin the cake."

"No he won't!" Feliciano exclaimed. "His cakes are delicious! He makes them in chocolate and vanilla and-"

"I still won't eat any."

"Come on~" Seeing that Lovino wasn't changing his mind, Feliciano conceded. "Okay. We can get something from the bakery. What would you like?"

Lovino stared down his brother. He could tell something was up. Feliciano usually insisted Lovino pay for his things, claiming he had to use his money for other things.

"What are you planning?"

"Eh!" Feliciano was terrible with keeping secrets. "Nothing!"

"Feli."

"We're going to be late!" Feliciano squeaked, running to the building next to the track.

"Feliciano!" Lovino ran after his brother.

When he arrived at the track, he didn't see his brother anywhere. Furious, Lovino grabbed the person closest to him.

"Oi! Do you know where-" Lovino stopped, seeing it was a woman, specifically the brunette from orientation.

"Oh, it's you!" the woman fully turned to great him. "You're Romano, right? Feliciano's brother?"

"Yes," Lovino replied. The woman smiled. "I don't know if you remember me, but I was at you're orientation. I'm Elizabeta. You can call me Liz if you want."

"Lov-" Lovino quickly stopped himself. His cheeks heated up. "Nice to meet you."

"How are you liking World Academy? No one is messing with you right?" Lovino swore he thought her eyes gleam.

"No…" Lovino replied. "But have you seen Feliciano?"

"No." Liz looked around, then back at Lovino in confusion. "But why are you in this class? P.E. for the ODI class is usually 4th block."

"It is?" Lovino pulled out his schedule. He showed it to Liz.

"Yeah…" Her eyes scanned the paper. "You have two SDH classes and two ODI class… Hm…"

"Am I in the wrong class?" Lovino wondered if his grandfather had a hand in making this. The official stamp was on it, meaning he saw it. That would explain the stupidity of the schedule's planning.

Liz didn't say anything. She just hummed.

"Maybe…" She looked up and gave Lovino a look he didn't understand.

Sympathy? Why would she sympathize with him over his schedule? And what's with that look as if she knows something he doesn't?

Lovino thought he was going to explode if people didn't start giving him answers.

"Alright, everyone gather 'round!" A man with a white mask, shouted.

"Let's go."

Liz left before he could respond. He didn't even get the chance to ask his question nor find Feli. Lovino looked at the crowd gathering around the man. Lovino didn't see him, but knew that he was somewhere around here. He stayed behind the crowd, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of his brother's wild curl.

"Today, my class will be having a Pick Up day. Work on your skill and endurance. I _will_ be watching so you can't get away with sleeping," the masked man glared at someone in the crowd.

"Everyone else, practice for the quiz Friday," Liz said. "It will be on endurance and efficiency. Those who get below an 80 will be sent to take remedial classes this Saturday." She scanned the crowd. "Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" the students coursed.

_She's a teacher?!_ Lovino thought. He knew she was older than him, too old to be going to high school but he hadn't thought she was a teacher.

"Good. Dismissed."

The students dispersed from the huddle in pairs to do their assigned tasks. Lovino was still awestruck watching people transform into various weapons. The light from various transformations lit up the field and created a cascade of cool colors. He wondered how it felt, transforming into an inanimate object?

Lovino caught sight of his brother a couple of feet away. He looked locked in concentration as he wielded a knife with a hilt that wrapped around his knuckles. He was simultaneously afraid and fearful of his brother's use of the blade. He had half a mind to go over and take it from him, but knew that wouldn't be a smart choice.

He didn't notice the two teacher's approaching him.

"Romano!" the masked man called.

Lovino flinched as the man patted his shoulder.

"I thought you'd be taller," the man said, studying Lovino. "And you don't look all that tough…"

"Did you know he was going to be in this class?" Liz asked.

"Of course!" the masked man laughed. "I need to know about every new student that arrives here! How else will I properly train them for battle?"

Elizabeta frowned.

"This is an advanced P.E. class," Liz said. "He just started here. The Headmaster couldn't have thought this was okay?"

Lovino's heart skipped a beat as he saw the masked man smile. It unnerved him. The man's eyes and the rest of his face except his mouth was obscured by his strange mask. It looked heavy. A porcelain mask? Who would wear a mask made of anything but plastic?

"Of course he does," the man threw his arms over Lovino's shoulder. "He asked me personally if it would be alright if he joined."

"Why the hell would he do that?" Lovino said, interrupting their conversation. Shoving the other man's arm off, Lovino looked at the other students practicing and going through the motions. "I don't have a partner! How the hell am I supposed to get through this class?!"

The masked man gave a large smile.

"You do have a partner." He said. Liz gave the man a death glare.

"You are not-"

"But I am!" The masked man let go of Lovino.

"Sadik! It's not time yet!" Liz shouted.

Sadik walked over to the track and stopped by two blond teens, one of which was unbelievably tall, even from this distance. The man had a short conversation in which, the tall teen grew increasingly excited and his friend kept his expression blank. At the end of their conversation, the tall blond looked over at Lovino. He then turned to the weapon he was holding and said something.

"Lovino."

Lovino was a little startled to hear Elizabeta call him by his name.

"What's going on?" Lovino asked. "What do you mean it's not time yet?"

Liz sighed.

"I've known you're brother since before he came to the Academy. Back then, he was a lot more vulnerable and definitely not at all ready to wield a Demon Weapon." Liz said, wistfully. After a moment, she turned to Lovino, determination in her eyes. "I know you just arrived and haven't properly settled in yet. If it were up to me, you wouldn't have to do this at all, but your grandfather… Anyway he's kind, your partner I mean. He can be a little eccentric sometimes, but I've known him my whole life. I know he will protect you"

Lovino had no idea what she was talking about. Everything Elizabeta was saying made no sense. Protect him? Why would someone protect him?

"What are you talking about?" Lovino asked. Seeing her soft look that said 'I can't tell you' Lovino exploded, "Why the hell won't anyone tell me anything! I have a right to know about things that concern me! You can't just force me to go along with whatever the fuck you two are talking about!"

"You'd be surprised."

Lovino turned around, startled at the closeness of the new voice. He ended up face to face with a teen that sent shivers down his back.

Lovino had never seen a demon. In one of the books he used for class, he read up on the history of demons to get a better idea of what he was getting himself into. The book said that demons had no one shape. They could take on the appearance of whoever or whatever they choose, making their capture difficult. There were only two things that could distinguish a demon from other creatures. Their wavelengths apparently had a… dark quality, as described by a man who survived a demon attack, long ago.

It was a stupid way to describe something. Dark wasn't exactly a very detailed description of something so important.

And this teen was just the opposite of that. He had skin and hair so light, Lovino wondered if the teen was going to catch on fire. Or maybe even sparkle.

"You two," Sadik stood next to the pale teen. He laughed at something he saw in Lovino's expression. "It's time you finally met. Lovino," Sadik pointed at him then at the other teen. "This is Gilbert. Your weapon partner."

Lovino didn't think he would ever get over this. The surprise he had every other hour as he was introduced to something new at World Academy. He had bought pain pills in anticipation for the headaches he knew he'd have in the future from this school.

As the pale teen narrowed his eyes at him, Lovino wished he had taken some this morning or even brought some with him. His head started to pound so badly, Lovino thought he'd pass out. The rush of emotions that started pouring through him also didn't help.

The teen's eyes stared straight into his soul, his red gaze made Lovino so uncomfortable, he backed away, tripping and falling to the ground.

_Shit_, Lovino thought, grabbing his head. He closed his eyes, intent to get the image of that piercing gaze out of his head.

"Lovino?" Lovino heard Liz crouch beside him. "What's wrong?"

Lovino was sure the woman said more to him, but he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

As the world faded into a black oblivion, he heard Liz shout,

"... too early! And you! Why did you do that! Gilbert!"

He was too out of it to really process much after that, but he did hear a final whisper,

"...too weak…"


End file.
